Quick Transmigration: Let Me Tell You, I'm a Social Anxiety Person

Wen Ying thought that Shen Zhu would, as he had done many times before, look at her for no more than three seconds before turning his head away with an awkward expression.

After all, it had been quite a while since they had sat so close together, shoulder to shoulder, like this.

But this time he persevered for thirty seconds, a duration that amazed Wen Ying, who suspected that Shen Zhu was staring at her in a daze.

Are we playing some kind of "Red Light, Green Light" game?

Shen Zhu said, "No." He curled his lips and raised his eyebrows into a beautiful arc. Then, he changed to a very serious tone and said to Wen Ying, "Your eyes are also very beautiful, like stars."

"That's surprising, you actually complimented me." Wen Ying smiled. "Is this considered a compliment?"

Shen Zhu hummed in agreement and said lightly, "I've praised you before, but you seem to have forgotten."

"..." Wen Ying wanted to say that she hadn't forgotten; she wasn't the kind of person who would casually forget everything.

But Shen Zhu had already lowered his head, picked up the small stick that Wen Ying had casually thrown away, and drew a very standard five-pointed star on the beach, which looked like a geometric pattern from an elementary school textbook.

Wen Ying's attention was drawn: "Draw another one, I have two eyes."

Although Shen Zhu didn't understand, he obediently did as instructed.

He said, "It's finished." His tone sounded like that of a well-behaved student who always obeys his teacher and is seeking praise.

Wen Ying was suddenly amused and stared at Shen Zhu's work with great laughter: "Hmm, great, here's a little red flower for you."

She laughed so hard her shoulders shrugged, oblivious to the volleyball flying toward her from a distance.

Fortunately, Shen Zhu reacted quickly and slapped the volleyball aside, preventing Wen Ying from being injured.

The student who accidentally dropped the ball ran over to retrieve it, apologizing repeatedly.

Shen Zhu narrowed his eyes and commented with an unfriendly expression, "What terrible ball skills."

Turning his head, Wen Ying was looking at him, and said in a gentle and sincere tone, "Thank you for saving my life."

“…It’s nothing,” Shen Zhu said in a low voice.

He turned his face slightly, thinking he had hidden it well, but he still missed one ear, which, under Wen Ying's gaze, burned from the tip of his ear all the way to his earlobe.

"Shen Zhu..." Wen Ying suddenly called his name. Shen Zhu's shoulder twitched, but he did not respond.

Fortunately, Wen Ying hadn't figured out what she wanted to say either, nor did she understand why she suddenly called his name.

Just then, the cell phone rang, rescuing the two people who were about to be turned into a statue.

It was Wen Sirang calling. Wen greeted him and responded.

In the corner of his eye, Shen Zhu picked up the small wooden stick again and drew all sorts of patterns on the sand: a five-pointed star, a square, and... a circle?

It appeared to be round, but not quite standard; instead, it had some sharp curves. Just as Wen Ying was about to take a closer look, Shen Zhu reached out and wiped it away.

Wen Sirang's voice came through the phone: "Sis, do you know that you and that guy are trending on social media?"

Wen Ying grasped the first key point: "Who? Which who?"

Wen Sirang paused, then said reluctantly, "Shen Zhu, that kid from the Shen family, you filmed a short campus video with him before, but it was reposted on a short video platform and then uploaded to Weibo, where it became a trending topic."

"Ah," Wen Ying said, "So it's Shen Zhu."

She glanced to the side and saw that Shen Zhu was holding his paintbrush and had stopped moving.

Wen Ying switched hands to hold the phone: "And then?"

Wen Sirang read the comments numbly: "I saw their comments saying that watching your video made my body feel warm, and that such young and energetic high school students should have a passionate campus romance—pui, what nonsense is that?"

"Even completely unrelated relationships can be linked to puppy love. If it weren't for Shen Zhu's brother's insane jealousy, hiring eight hundred famous tutors to give him extra lessons, he wouldn't even have the chance to stand next to you."

Wen Sirang suddenly changed the subject, catching Shen Zhu's slowly rising lips off guard and causing them to freeze instantly.

Slowly, it creased into a straight line.

Wen Sirang was still rambling on and on, his words sharp and intense, like a die-hard fan of Wen Ying. Wen Ying felt a headache coming on, but also a bit amused and exasperated.

"Netizens are just saying it casually. They'll forget about it in a few days. It won't cause any trouble for me or Shen Zhu."

Wen Yingchao glanced to the side and saw that Shen Zhu had wiped away all the patterns on the ground, leaving only two not-so-good-looking five-pointed stars.

He even placed a small stick next to a little crab that was in a hurry to go home. The little crab stretched out its pincers and waved at him, but because it was too weak, it only appeared to be bluffing.

Wen Ying defended Shen Zhu a few times on the phone.

She said, "He didn't have any extra lessons," and Wen Sirang loudly questioned, "How do you know?" Wen Ying said, "He used to be playful, which caused him to neglect his studies." Wen Sirang then made an even bigger fuss.

Wen Sirang: "Sigh, actually I really don't want to get involved too much, afraid that you'll find it annoying, but I always feel inexplicably uneasy, thinking that if that kid gets too close to you, you'll distance yourself from me."

Wen Ying asked in confusion, "But brother, Shen Zhu and I have never spoken in front of our parents."

Wen Sirang: "...So you're still talking behind our backs, aren't you!"

"He did say a few words, but not much. After all, we're classmates. It wouldn't make sense for him to stay silent all the time. It would look strange."

Wen Sirang thought about it and agreed: "Forget it, the relationship between you two can only be defined by yourselves."

He then mentioned a director surnamed Wen, saying that the director had inadvertently taken a liking to Wen Ying and Shen Zhu, two campus celebrities, and wanted to invite them to make a movie together.

"Go ahead and make the movie if you want. I've glanced at the script, and it seems to be about a depressed girl who reunites with her childhood sweetheart. The director said it's called 'The Childhood Sweetheart Who Fell From the Sky,' which sounds quite interesting."

"But sis, don't let things between you and Shen Zhu turn out like mine and Shen Chi's," Wen Sirang said cautiously. "Those with the surname Shen are the most troublesome."

"..." Wen Ying said, "Don't worry, brother, I won't let Shen Zhu have a chance to steal my boyfriend."

After hanging up the phone, it was already evening. Everyone on the beach had long shadows trailing behind them, dyed orange-red by the setting sun.

Shen Zhu was no longer by her side. He left quietly while Wen Ying was engrossed in her phone call, and even the wooden stick and the little crab were nowhere to be found.

Wen Ying stared blankly at the crowd in the distance for a while, then stood up, supporting herself on her knees. However, because she had been sitting still for too long, her legs went weak.

Just then, a hand appeared in front of her, and Wen Ying instinctively stretched out her arm, bumping into Shen Zhu's arms due to inertia.

"Wen Ying, how could you be so careless?" Shen Zhu's face was full of "What would you do without me?"

He went out for a walk and his mood improved again. His ability to adjust his mood was very quick, which Wen Ying envied.

Shen Zhu loosely held Wen Ying's back with one hand, and released his arm after Wen Ying regained her balance, returning to a perfectly appropriate social distance.

In his other hand, he held a coconut that had been opened, with six straws of different colors stuck in it.

They had passed by the coconut juice stall that morning. A group of students were making a ruckus, pointing at the coconuts arranged in a row and discussing, "Two straws are for couples, but who are the four straws for?" The answer they got was their roommates in the four-person dorm.

Wen Ying said, "Why did you buy so many straws?"

"I'll share it with a good friend," Shen Zhu replied calmly, glancing around as he spoke, hoping to find someone in the crowd wearing the same school uniform as him.

"It seems they've all gone back."

Shen Zhu then showed a somewhat regretful expression: "Alright then, I only have one good friend left."

"Good friend?" Wen Ying repeated his words.

The orange-red glow painted the sky before sinking into the sea, and the whole world was enveloped in the afterglow of the setting sun.

So this time, Shen Zhu didn't need to turn his face away; his embarrassment and helplessness were honestly exposed in their eyes once again meeting.

"We don't have to be friends."

Wen Ying stared at him intently.

"Ah, no, I mean..."

Shen Zhu suddenly stopped, as if he was struggling to slowly conceive the words.

He spent too much time, and the person in front of him should have lost patience waiting, but Shen Zhu's eyes were like a hook, trying to keep Wen Ying firmly locked in his sight.

In the distance came the squad leader's call to gather people for dinner. Wen Ying moved slightly and gently touched his fingers.

"Shen Zhu," Wen Ying looked up, "would you like to come with me to make a movie?"

Shen Zhu stared at her blankly. Wen Ying's expression showed no hesitation, so Shen Zhu also stopped hesitating and said, "I'm willing."